Radiographic apparatus



July 11, 1933. w. s. WERNER RADIOGRAPHIC APPARATUS Filed March 16, 1929 LNVENTOR ZIZMM SW .A TTOR/VEY Patented July 11, 1933 I ITED STAT-Es PATENT OFFICE WIIJBUIR :S. WERNER, OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY, A SSIGNOR TO THE KELLEY-KOETT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY, A CORPORATION, OF OHIO RADIOGRA PHIC APPARATUS v Application filed March 16, 1929. Serial No. 347,682.

" is'to provide for housing the X-ray generator in a compartment separate from and in dependent of the compartment or compartments in WhlCh the'transformer members are housed. Another object is to prevent insulating oil which is or has been in contact with the X-ray generator members reaching the transformers or the contacts and leads adjacent thereto. My invention also comprises certain details of form and arrangement and combination of components, all of which will be fullyset forth in the description of the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an X-ray generator embodying my improvements.

' Fig. 2 is'a centralvertical section through the same taken on line 22 of Fig. 1.

The'accomp'anyi'ng drawing illustrates one embodiment ofmy invention in which 15 represents a sheet metal compartment having an X-ray' pervious window 17 and in which compartment is mounted an X-ray generator 16 encased in an X-ray impervious,

shield 12 both supported upon brackets r standards 14. The compartment 15 -is substantially filled with an electrical insulating medium such as a gas, a'petrolelnn oil or other'suitable insulating medium in which the X-ray generator and the electrical contacts and leads thereto are immersed in said"insu1a'ting medium and are thus insulated-to prevent short circuiting the high tension. current. The container 15 also prevents'high tension current reaching eithcr'a patient or operator located exteriorly of the container. 15.

The high tension current with which to energize the X-ray generator 16 is generated in two independent stages by means of independent transformer members 18 and 19, located respectively in independent sheet metal compartments and 21, preferably located respectively upon opposite sides of and separated by the compartment 15. Each of the transformer members 18 and 19 is immersed in an insulating medium located in one of the compartments 20 and 21, to thereby insulate the transformer members and the terminals and leads thereto. The respectin-v bodies of insulating medium in the several compartments 15, 20, and 21 are separate and independent and have no communication one with another.

The primary 22 of the transformer mem ber 18 is energized from the line wires, or service wires 23 and 24 and when energized serves togenerate a higher electrical potential at the terminals of the secondary 25, of the transformer member 18, for instance the primary may be energized from line wires carrying 110 or 220 volt current, and the sec ondary 25 may be proportioned to develop fifty thousand volts potential at the terminals and 31 thereof. v In like manner the primary 27 ofthe transformer member 19, may be energized by the same potential as is the primary 22, and the secondary 28 of the transformer member 19 develops a potential of fifty thousand volts at its terminals 42 and 33, p 7 p v The two'high tension terminals 31 and 33 are connected together by an electrical connector 34 passed from compartment 20 to compartment 21 through an insulator tube 35 located beneath and outside of the compartment 15. If desired the connector 34 may be grounded; The high tension terminal'30 is connected to one terminal of the X-ray tube by means of an electrical connector 36 which passes through an insulator 37 in the adjacent walls of the compartments 15 and 20. The high tension terminal 42 is connected to one of the opposite terminals 44 of the X-ray tube by means of an electrical connector 43, which passes through an insulator 41 in the adjacent walls of the compartments 15 and 21. A small filament heating transformer comprising a primary 60, energized from the primary circuit 23 and 24, and a step-down secondary 61 connected across the terminals 39 and 44 of the X-ray generator, by electrical conductors 40 and 43. The secondary 61 furnishes low tension current to heat the filament 45 of the X-ray generator while the secondary 28 supplies high tension current at the terminal 42, and thence through the connector 43 to the X-ray generator.

In practice in the event of the high tension current breaking down the insulation medium in any one of the compartments 15, 20, and 21, the insulating medium, or insulating oil so punctured or broken down is also chemically decomposed liberating finely divided free carbon which is an electrical conductor instead of an insulator, and tends ultimately to arrange the carbon particles, so as to short circuit the high tension circuit. Therefore insulating medium or insulating oil which has broken down as an insulator to any considerable extent requires to be removed and replaced with a fresh supply'of insulating medium or insulating oil. Screw plugs 50, 51 and 52 enable the insulating medium to be removed from any one of the compartments 15, 20 and 21 without disturbing the insulating medium in the remaining compartments.

It will be noted that the maximum electrical potential developed in compartment 20 under conditions above stated would be fifty thousandfvolts, and the maximum electrical potential developed in the compartment 21 would be fifty thousand volts, while by arranging the secondaries 25 and 28 in serieswith the X-ray generator the electrical potential' at the terminals of the generator 16,

and within the compartment 15 may be as high as one hundred thousand volts. Thus there would be relatively small tendency to break down the insulating medium or oil insulation in either compartment 20:0!v 21, or for the'oil in said compartments 20 and 21 to deteriorate by formation of carbon therein. The greatest tendency to break down the oil insulation would be in compartment 15, but while the gaps to be jumped by the current are relatively short in the compartments 20 and 21, the gaps necessary to be jumped to break down the insulation in compartment 15 are relatively long and hence better able to resist a break. In the event of a break down in the insulation in any one of the compartments, only the insulating medium in that one compartment requires to be removed and,

replaced. The arrangement is such that it is practically impossible for high tension current to reach and injure either the patient or the operator. The size of the window 17 may be adjustedcby means of the adjustable slides 55 and 56..

While'the metal wallsof the compartment 15 are practically impervious to X-rays, I

preferably encase the X-ray generator in a casing or shield 12 which is impervious to X-rays except at a window or opening opposite and in line with the window 17 in the compartment 15. Both the X-ray shield 12 and the X-ray generator are supported upon the members 14.

The apparatus herein shown and described is capable of considerable modification within the scope of the claims, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim is 1. Radiographic apparatus comprising a pair of end compartments serving as supporting standards, transformers immersed in oil and mounted in said compartments, a central compartment abutting said first-mentioned compartments at opposite ends and supported thereby, said central compartment being shallower than the end compartments, an X-ray generator in the central compartment, a protective shield surrounding the generator in said compartment, means in said central compartment to support said generator and said shield, the central compartment being oil filled, means in one of said end compartments and the abutting wall of the central compartment for effecting electrical connection between one end of the transformer secondary and one end of the X-ray generator, means in the adj acent Walls of the other end compartment and central compartment for effecting insulated electrical connection between one end of the transformer secondary and the other end of the X-ray generator, insulating means extending between the endmost compartments exteriorly of and beneath the centralcompartment, an electrical conductor connecting the remainin ends of both transformer secondaries an extending through said insulating means, and means comprising electrical conductors for directing energizing current for the primaries of both said transformers in said compartments.

2. Radiographic apparatus comprising three metal walled com artments united in alignment, 3. body of insulating liquid in each compartment, the endmost compartments being disposed exteriorly of and abutting the central compartment and supporting said central compartment, insulators in the abutting walls of said compartments, a window pervious to X-rays in said central compartment, an X-ray generator in the central compartment and immersed in the insulating liquid therein, a separate step-up transformer mounted in each of the end compartments, electrical conductors leading from the exterior of the end compartments to the primary windings of the transformers therein, an electrical conductor leading through insulators in the walls of the end com artments and connecting a terminal o the secondaries of each transformer, an exteriorly disposed insulating member for said last mentioned electrical conductor, and a pair of electrical conductors leading one each from the secondaries of the respective transformers 1n the end compartments, through sald nsulators in said abutting walls and through the insulating liquid in the central compartment to the opposite terminals of the X-ray generator.

3. Radio raphie apparatus comprising three metal Walled compartments united in alignment, a body of insulating liquid in each compartment, a window pervious to X-rays in the central compartment, an X-ray generator of the hot cathode type immersed in the insulating liquid in the central compartment, a separate step up transformer in each of the end compartments, a cathode heating transformer located in one of said end compart ments, an insulating member extending between the endmost compartments and exteriorly of the center compartment, an electrical conductor in said insulating member and connected at each end to an end of each of said step up transformer secondaries, in-

sulators in the abutting walls of the end compartments and center compartment, an electrical conductor leading through one of. said insulators and through. the insulating liquid in the center compartment and connecting the secondary of one step up transformer with the anode f the X-ray generator, an electrical conductor leading through another of said insulators and through the insulating liquid in the center compartment for connecting the secondary of the opposite step up transformer with the cathode of the X-ray generator, the last mentioned conductor also forming an electrical connection between one side of the hot cathode member and one side of the secondary of the cathode heating transformer, and an electrical conductor leading through an insulator in the abutting walls between said center compartment and said end compartment and connecting the remaining sides of the hot cathode member and secondary of the cathode heating transformer.

4. Radiographic apparatus comprising a first compartment, an -ray generator mounted therein, a shield substantially sur rounding the generator, means supporting the generator and shield, a second compartment exteriorly attached to said first co1npartment, a step up transformer located and oil immersed in said second compartment, a third compartment eXteriorly attached to the first compartment 011 the side opposite the second compartment, a second step up transformer located and oil immersed in the said third compartment, electrical conductors leading to the terminals of the primaries of said first and second transformers, an electrical conductor connecting together one secondzvy terminal of each of said transformers, an insulating member for said last mentioned electrical conductor extending between the second and third compartments, cxteriorly of the first compartment and protected thereby against accidental contact, and a pair of electrical connectors extending from opposite terminals of the X-ray generator and extending in insulated relation through opposite walls of the first compartment and the abutting walls of said second and said third compartment, and connecting with the remaining respective secondary terminals of said transformers.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

VILBUR S. VERNER. 

